Cowboys Beat Up O-Line Ready for Chargers Blitzes

The Cowboys are about to face a San Diego Chargers defense that just blitzed so often and so well that the Chicago Bears pulled starter Jay Cutler earlier than they’d planned and they will play the Chargers on Saturday night with two backups starting on the offensive line. “I stayed up all night and worried about Romo,” Cowboys coach Wade Phillips sarcastically said. “But I think he’ll be all right playing behind a makeshift offensive line.”

He said Friday that he expects to use his starters for “pretty close to a half” against the Chargers which includes Montrae Holland at left guard, newbie Robert Brewster at right tackle and Romo at quarterback. “Romo needs to get ready to play,” Phillips said. “He doesn’t need to sit out the whole preseason. Neither one of those (starting linemen) is going to be back in the preseason, so the theory of don’t put him in there because those two guys are gone, well, then he doesn’t play. He just sits out. That’s the silly part to me.”

Kyle Kosier and Marc Colombo were lost to knee injuries this week. Colombo had arthroscopic surgery and is expected back within two weeks, certainly by the season opener. Kosier doesn’t need surgery but could miss up to the first three games.